To top it all off I made a much overdue trip to the dentist and found out that I needed a root canal. Luckily we found a dentist that specialises in "pain free" dentistry (aka lotso drugs dentistry!) and the experience was far more tolerable than I expected. I wouldn't dread going back there again - amazing! Maybe next time I won't put it off for 2.5 years!
In between colds and flu the boys have been their usual boisterous selves. Cam is cutting his first set of molars in the midst of it all just to make things really fun. So, we can't remember the last night of uninterrupted sleep or the last time they slept past 6am (most days they are waking closer to 5 - yawn).
Hopefully this helps explain the crickets chirping round the blogosphere here and the spotty Wednesday posts (two weeks ago I was in the throes of the flu -blech, and last week I was on my own with the boys while Mr. C was traveling for work). I've been lucky to get us dressed and food on the table most days - and there've been a few where I haven't managed that. Thank goodness I've got such a supportive, understanding hubby. :) Thankfully things seem to be getting better now - except for the hubby traveling part!
Cam has been walking since we got back from our trip in January and is practically running now - he does a very good race walker impression whilst trying to keep up with his big brother! He is climbing everything, pushing stools and chairs to get to what he can't reach and generally getting into trouble wherever he can. His favorite thing to do is stand on the seat portion of CJ's chair and say "sssss, ssss", because he knows we are about to say "sit, sit!"...cheeky monkey! He is also talking more and more - it's such a cute age where everything is so exciting and interesting. He now says "mama, mama" whenever he wants something...I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended (I'll go with flattered)! Cam also says "bye-bye" and waves whenever someone leaves, or we say goodnight, or sometimes to the tv or a book (we're not always sure what the inspiration is then!), and has been saying "what's that?" for some time now...all the time! Now Calvin thinks it's funny to ask "what's that?, what's that?" ...haha, really funny, the first few times, but then there's the next fifty!
Cam also says one..."waah"...as a countdown before he jumps (the wonderful influence of an older brother!). He loves nothing more than 'jumping' from the ottoman to the couch (stepping quickly over a couple inch gap and falling gleefully into the cushions), sliding off the edge of the couch, stepping off the edges of stairs or other high places into our arms (thank goodness we've always been there so far), and zooming around on our bed as fast as he can walk/bounce! It's really cute, but inevitably ends up in tears and another bruise on the noggin. He's gonna be a tough little guy at this rate!
The boys are starting to play together more, although it still usually ends with Cam in tears as CJ always gets too rough or steals something away from him. We're just waiting for the day when Cam learns to hit back, then things are going to get really interesting around here, especially since CJ tends to be a bit sensitive having been on his own all this time (and not been in daycare either). Sometimes I feel like all I am is a referee and I spend my whole day telling Calvin "no", making him say sorry, and putting him in time-outs....it's mentally draining, and I'm sure it's not fun for him either. There are times when he can be very helpful and cooperative though, which is lovely to see. I am finding three a tougher age to deal with than two was, but I'm not alone. My lovely friend B at MissE and Me has labeled it the "Throttling Threes" - something we frequently commiserate on! I have to say Cam is definitely at a much cuter age right now with him doing things like tickling us and saying "peas, peas" (please) whenever he needs us to do something for him. It's a hard act to follow, and I think CJ ends up working on the 'negative attention is better than none' philosophy and just starts throwing things, talking back, and being rough with his brother. Sigh. We're trying to spend some more one-on-one time with him to help him feel a bit special still, but as I said above it's all been a bit rough around the edges this year so we haven't been doing that as much as we'd like.
*TMI warning for my non parent (or weak of stomach) readers - potty training paragraph...you might want to skip it! ;) *
The other thing that he is really fighting us on is potty training. I am so frustrated! I've tried logic, I've tried stickers/reward charts, I've tried yelling, I've tried threatening (you can't go to school until you start using the potty). I've gone cold turkey and let him just wet his pants...he doesn't care....he will happily play in the back yard with wet/dirty pants on and the only one it bothers is me!! I honestly don't know what to do at this point. It's not that he won't use a potty, small or big, it's just he doesn't remember that he needs to go there, so he just has accidents ALL day long, every day. Argh! I find it very hard to keep my cool and not be negative when I'm having to decide between cleaning up or tossing yet another pair of undies - blergh.
On the bright side Calvin is as eager to learn as ever and still soaking things up like a sponge. He now knows some letters and numbers by sight and is very curious about what the "numbers" say on signs, labels, and pages of books (we are working on getting him to recognize that they are letters!). He is quite keen to go to school, but I think it's mostly because he wants to take the bus to get there and then wants to play on the great playground equipment we always see at schools when we drive by (especially preschools). He's not going to be happy with me when I start him in preschool and drive him there every day instead of letting him get on a bus!!
Calvin's love of all things transport and construction continues. It is great for driving places as we always see construction so he is thrilled to point everything out..."look barriers, cones, digger, ment mixer!" "look, mama, look!" ....I find myself looking for these things even on the rare times when I am in the car by myself, and thinking - "Oh, CJ would have loved that." He still loves trains as well and is thrilled whenever we go to one of the local parks that are near the tracks so he can see the trains go by. I am planning on taking him on a train trip again one weekend soon, just for fun.
Our little man is growing up... somehow we didn't notice when he stopped saying "stopstarey" and started saying strawberry or when he stopped saying "teddy bear-bear"...these things just sort of happen and one day you think to yourself, "Oh yeah, he used to say that so cute!". Luckily he's still an adorable little imp and is mispronouncing his fair share of words, so he's not all that grown up yet. It is amazing to compare the two boys and see the difference a couple of years will make though. We are trying to get all the kisses and cuddles out of Cam that we can and soak up this very cute age that he's at in the midst of all the chaos that life brings!
A little video of Cam doing what he does best (being cute), a bit short as the camera battery was dieing oddly out of focus, but adorable none-the-less!
2 comments:
Your post brings me back a few years to my 1 and 3 year old days! Yes, the constant sickness when there are two siblings in the house...for everyone! Tyler was my tough potty trainer, taking three years, when Jake took three days. All I can tell you is that this too shall pass. In a few years, it will all seem a distant memory, which is both a good and bad thing. Hang in there!
So sorry to hear about the illnesses but glad to learn of your painless dentistry discovery! It is a wonder.
We always love reading and looking at the blog. I have it loaded now on my Ipad so dont need to wait for Grandpa to share his laptop.
Post a Comment